MARIETTA — Saturday’s monthly breakfast meeting of the Cobb Democratic Party was a time for simultaneous celebration and regrouping.

“I want to welcome everybody to the second term of the 44th President, and I want to welcome everybody to the beginning of campaign 2014,” Cobb Democratic Committee Chair Melissa Pike said to cheers from the audience of 60 people at 3 Amigos Mexican restaurant on Whitlock Avenue.

Former U.S. Rep. Buddy Darden noted that President Barack Obama had won seven of 12 voting precincts during Tuesday’s election in the city of Marietta.

“It was a glorious day,” Darden said. “I understand Mitt Romney didn’t even have a concession speech ready. We’ve got to build on what we’ve done. We’ve got to make Cobb County and the state of Georgia in tune with the rest of this great nation of ours.”

“That Sean Hannity, he said, ‘We’re gonna win in a landslide.’ It didn’t happen,” Waldrop said. “And what was that fellow, ‘Froffenheimer?’ Goes around in that wheel cart he’s got, talking nasty about all of us … When I ran for office 18 years ago, I was stunned that the so-called Christian Coalition went around in our churches talking nasty about all of us, saying awful things about us. I’ve seen the conduct of the John Birch Society all these years and I have to tell you there isn’t a minute’s difference between the Tea Party, the John Birch Society and the Christian Coalition. They’re all the same bunch. Here in Georgia, we’re going to have to do something about ‘em.”

But with the Democrats, who already don’t have a county or statewide elected official, losing incumbents in state Sen. Doug Stoner of Smyrna and school board member Alison Bartlett of west Cobb after their districts were reapportioned; Pike said the party still has work to do. That means developing candidates well in advance.

“We cannot have candidates coming up in May, right before qualifying and deciding that they want to run,” Pike said. “This is something that takes a minimum of 24 months to build up. If you know somebody who you think would be qualified to run, we have a commitment to have their back and to develop them so that they know exactly what they’re getting into, start the fundraising effort early and start getting their face and their name out there so that that’s not an uphill climb come next election.”

Jeff Kazanow, who lost to U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell), took the opportunity Saturday to announce he would challenge Price again in 2014. Kazanow said he had learned lessons from the loss and planned to build a ground strategy to get voters to the polls in east Cobb and north Fulton and DeKalb counties.

Pike said that the 35 percent of the vote Kazanow picked up on Tuesday was the highest percentage from a Democrat in the 6th Congressional District in over 15 years.

Others on hand Saturday included state Rep. Horacena Tate of Atlanta, as well as Patrick Thompson, who lost Tuesday to U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta); Bill Bolton, who lost to state Rep. Sam Teasley (R-Marietta) and Kevin “Big Kev” Westphal, who fell to state Rep. John Carson (R-northeast Cobb).

Westphal also hinted at another run.

“I need to run some numbers, but it’s entirely possible,” he said. “Let’s try to do some work and rebuild our party from the ground up.”

Another issue Democrats will have to deal with is improving minority turnout. Don. E. Wilson, the Democratic Party of Georgia’s 11th Congressional District chairman, said that, despite Obama at the top of the ballot, only 21 percent of eligible black Georgia residents voted in the presidential election.

“Unfortunately, certain pockets were underperforming in Atlanta, in Fulton and parts of Cobb and DeKalb,” he said.

Watcher--I was never Sen. Stoner's "Call Screener." I explained why questions were referred to Liz Johnson who serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus. Reading is fundamental. Maybe you should "watch" for details and less on attempting to be clever.

Watcher...

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November 12, 2012

"Former U.S. Rep. Buddy Darden noted that President Barack Obama had won seven of 12 voting precincts during Tuesday’s election in the city of Marietta."

How is this possible? It's called cheating, and I'd bet my right arm it was rampant last week.

Lib in Cobb

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November 12, 2012

The failure of the GOP is not new at all. The run-up to the 2008 election should have told the GOP something. The a** whuppin taken by the GOP in 2008 should have told you something. The 2010 mid term elections gave you guys a ray of hope but the Tea Party has been more trouble to the GOP than the Democrats. The GOP has allowed their core values to go toxic and extreme. No one is going to forget how toxic and extreme the GOP has become. It will take years of re-branding for any kind of GOP recovery.

Baloney. The GOP is fine. You won because you give people Obamaphones and billions of dollars for their failing green energy endeavors.

Can't wait to watch you continue to spin as the country fails under your president.

Watcher...

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November 12, 2012

Lib in Cobb, how do you like your results in Georgia's General Assembly?

Lib in Cobb

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November 12, 2012

Sam: The GOP is far from fine. In the last few days the GOP and the FOX talking heads have admitted they need re-tooling. The GOP pi**ed off the African Americans, the Latinos, the women, the middle class, the poor, the elderly, the sick, the LGBT, the unions. Have I forgotten anyone? If you don't believe it, then you can join the ranks of those who are still walking around dazed by the multiple losses last Tuesday. Stay tuned, you will see drastic changes in the GOP over the next three years. You and your party are not fine, remember the dinosaurs?

Lib in Cobb

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November 12, 2012

@Watcher: The GA Assembly is what it is. Places like GA will be the last dinosaur in the tar pit, along with SC, AL and MS, there are more than just those four. If you don't believe this just look at how many Liberal women were elected to Congress this year, some for the first time, such as Elizabeth Warren of MA and Tammy Duckworth of IL, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Fortunately the GA General Assembly has little impact on the rest of the nation.

I am not from GA and I will soon be moving out of this political wasteland. I will not let the door hit me in the a** on my way out.

D.G. in Clarkdale

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November 11, 2012

Darden is delusional as always, this election was not a mandate considering fewer votes were cast nationally than in 2008. Obama got less votes (about 6.6 Million less) than when he was elected the first time, if anything both candidates represented little difference hence the smaller turnout. In addition Obama ran a very negative, divisive, dishonest campaign, one of fear, one of class warfare and racism. Don't believe me? Go make an honest assessment on how he structured his messages, if anything he's very very good at deception....but that holds turn for many politicians including Darden.

Right..negative campaign against the guy who revealed no plan, no tax records and could not decide which side of the issue he is really on! YOU are delusional!!!

Lib in Cobb

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November 12, 2012

DG: The re-election of president Obama was a "mandate".

mandate: a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representatives.

A mandate occurs when one person is elected over his/her opponent. What you are suggesting is that the election was not as big of a mandate compared to 2008. The idea that this election was not a mandate was started by Fox news, then backed up by Rush. Fox and Rush are inexplicably confused as to why Mittens lost. Everyone knows why Mittens lost, except the GOP and especially Rove.

Samuel Adams

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November 11, 2012

Mr. Waldrop, you can't even be graceful in your win, much like the typical Democrat, making fun of Dr. Krauthammer, who is in a wheelchair -- you make fun of "that wheel cart he's got." Wow, if you were a Republican, they'd run you out of town.

You think you've got everyone suckered, but you forget the margin of victory was tight, so don't get too overconfident. Wait until your party and your Obama's true intent is revealed, as well as the destruction it will cause. Let's see you gloat like this in a year.

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